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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bore — to tire
  3. track — to keep track
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. row — a line
  6. field — a subject
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mark — a grade
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — a song
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a path
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com